Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-09-01
fixes PEAK LIGHTNING.
How Signal Observer Had His Finger Tips
Ailame in an Electrical storm

How Signal Observer Had His Finger Tips
AiIame in an Electrical storm
Sergt Luther NJ. Dey, now in the signal
service IN Philadelphia, spent yeRr for
the government at Pixies peak. His ex.
perienoes there must be as interesting 10
scientists as TO the general public, for
they are uRllke any over published about
that monarch of American mountains,
Il was in the signal service house on
the summit when lightning telegraphed
itself up the mountain and struck the
building he said recently.
The wire was grounded Eve feet from
the west wall. The bolt plowed furrrow
from the end of the wire to The stone wall
two fees thick, and tore out of IL a hole
eighteen inches square. Then it flashed
around the room melted and ruined some
of our instruments, ANA went out of the
east window. The air seemed full Of
electricity at the time, but not one of us
was injured
Not long afterward / saw the most
wonderful electrical storm | have ever
heard Of The atmosphere had appeared
loaded with electricity all one afternoon.
There was singing sound in the air, as
If the whole universe was a great hivs
of bees. When the sun went down | saw
theusand Jets of electric flame rising
from the wire down the mountain. |
went outdoors. My hair rose up. My
mustache poked into my nose. / took
my hands from my pockets and electric
flames two inches long started from each
finger tip, When / held them down the
flames disappeared / walked up and
down with my hands in the air, Us ex-
Cited as a child. When came under the
telegraph wire the flames went out where
| was and disappeared before and behind
me, This storm lasted half an hour
But from Sergt. Deys talk there are
real dangers on the mountain. Once in
winter time he descended the great crater.
for Pixies peak Is an extinct volcano.
Half way down the side of the crater
he slipped, and in a moment shot sever
al hundred feet along the slippery surface
of loose snow, saving himself by catching
on bowlder. The snow was very deep,
and far down the mountain he saw
tracks of mountain lions. After
hours of awful suffering and struggling
in snowbanks, he reached the trail and
got back to the station.
"The house has walls two feet thick -
continued Sergt. Dey. "rhere are sever
al rooms -one for instruments, one for
sleeping, and two used as storeroom
and Kitchen respectively. The roof is
anchored down by great cables, to brace
it against the wind, which is terrible,
sometimes blowing one hundred miles an
hour. Six months provisions and six
months supply OF wood are taken up
every fall from timber line. The penk
is ten miles from Manitou and seventeen
from Colorado Springs
"But," said the sergeant, lighting his
pipe again, "the view from the station
was magnificent We could see the smoke
of Denver, the City of Pueblo, and the
trains on the plains twenty miles away,
very clearly. We could see in Old Mexico
the Spanish peaks, capped with snow,
and glistening like knights in armor, 100
miles away. More than dozen times
we have looked far, far down below us at
thuuder-storms raging in sea of black
clouds.
Let me tell you "A word of poor Capt
Crevin. He vas a friind of Gen. Hazen
and came west for his health. He was
Manxman, and on the peak in the govern
ment service. The doctors say he dice
of a boil in the lungs, 4 very rare disease
Life on the peak is lonely. There are
few birds and animals. Bears are seen
occasionally, and vuitures, and the mJser
able, gastly-looking Rocky mountain
magpies and thrushes. II SHOWS every
month in the year. Once in while Q
royal eagle scars over the range Tn,
I - l.. Al Al
men of the signal Office have to spend ont
month on the summit, 14,l50 feet allow
sea, and then one month 1000 feet lower
at Colorado Springs"
Pixies peak is the highest mountain il
the world on which civilized men live al
the year round.